N.J. poverty rate increase among smallest in the country

David Gard/For The Star-LedgerPerth Amboy mayor Wilda Diaz, pictured, held a press conference at Raritan bay Medical Center to kick off the 2010 Census in this March 2010 file photo.

New Jersey is among the top five states with lowest poverty rates. The Garden State's poverty rate increase from 2008 was among the smallest in the United States, according to 2009 survey results from the U.S. Census Bureau released this morning.

About 799,099 people fell within the poverty level in New Jersey in 2009, a 0.6 percent increase from the year before, while the nation's poverty rate rose by 1 percent.

The poverty status was determined by comparing annual income to each state's dollar values/threshold. A family or individual is considered to be in poverty if their before tax money income falls below the threshold.

In 2009, 14.3 percent of the country's population — about 42.9 million people — had income below the poverty rate, according to the report.

Thirty-one states saw hikes poverty numbers.

South Dakota (2.1%), Utah (2%) and Wisconsin had the highest rates of increases in poverty.

The findings were part of the American Community Survey, an annual assessment by the U.S. Census Bureau that polls about 3 million people to create an estimate for the U.S. and Puerto Rico. It is not the 2010 census which is a count of everyone in the country. The results of the 2010 census will be released in December and early in 2011.